According to Japanese news site Yomiuri Online, Japan's next geenration XASM-3 supersonic anti-ship missile will enter mass production in 2018. The missile will also be officially introduced with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), it will then be called ASM-3. The Japanese MoD likely conducted a test earlier this year as we previously reported.

For the first time, the U.S. Navy test fired two Raytheon-built Tomahawk cruise missiles from new submarine payload tubes on the Virginia-class USS North Dakota (SSN-784). The tests, in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida, proved the submarine's ability to load, carry and vertically launch Tomahawk missiles from the new Block III Virginia Payload Tube. The upgraded tubes feature fewer parts and will be even more reliable.

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems a $4.6 million contract for its Mobile Offboard Clandestine Communications and Approach (MOCCA) program. The MOCCA program’s goal is to enable submarines to detect other submerged vessels at greater distances, while minimizing the risk of counter-detection.

PIRIOU NAVAL SERVICES, the French branch of the PIRIOU group for Repair and Services, has just completed the refit of the Rais Bargach, a 65m ocean-going patrol vessel built in 1995. Following arrival at the shipyard in February 2016, this vessel belonging to the Royal Moroccan Navy benefitted from an exhaustive refit programme:

The Royal Navy Type 23 Frigate HMS Montrose went back to sea on 7th July for the first time in almost three years. HMS Montrose began her refit in 2014.The existing 996 radar and Seawolf air defence system have been replaced with the Artisan 3D radar and Sea Ceptor (also known as MBDA's CAMM).

The Northern Shipyard in St. Petersburg in northwest Russia is planning to build the hull of the fourth Project 22350 frigate Admiral Isakov by January 2018, the shipyard’s press office said. The Northern Shipyard is a subsidiary of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation.

Egyptian Navy Using Avengers as Air Defense for its Mistral-class LHD during Cleopatra Exercise

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During the joint French-Egyptian naval exercises "Cleopatra 2017" held from 8 to 11 July 2017, a video released by the Egyptian MoD shows the Anwar El-Sadat (Mistral-class) LHD with four US-made AN/TWQ-1 Avenger on the flight deck acting as point short-range air defence systems.

On 29 June 2017, six NATO Allies announced their readiness to work together in developing and fielding follow-on solutions for their existing maritime anti-submarine and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.

The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy) just commissioned the new Type 056 Corvette (Jiangdao class) Hanzhong (hull number 520) during a ceremony in a South Sea Fleet naval base. Hanzhong is the thirty-fourth Type 056 Corvette delivered to the PLAN fleet and the twelveth Type 056A variant specialized in anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer, the USS John Finn (DDG 113), during a ceremony Saturday, July 15, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. USS John Finn is the 63rd Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class destroyer and the first of the DDG 51 Flight IIA restart ships. The "restart" ships are similar to previous Flight IIA ships, but include modernization features such as Open Architecture Computing Environment. DDG 113 was built by shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).

Thales announced that it has been awarded a contract by BAE Systems to supply its anti-submarine warfare sonar for the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates. The announcement to equip the first three ships helps secure around 70 jobs across Thales and its supply chain. The main manufacturing and maintenance work will be carried out across Thales sites in Manchester, UK and Brest in France.

The Russian Navy will receive the newest Project A223 landing craft. They will be intended for the rapid delivery of troops and equipment onto an unimproved shore both on open water and in shallow ice. Unlike their predecessors, the Project 21820 Dugon-class landing craft, they will be able not only to be loaded ashore, but also to pick up cargoes from amphibious assault ships, writes the newspaper Izvestia.

Navigation, steering and control technologies completedthe Sea Acceptance Test onboard the newest submarine for the Indonesian Navy within a minimum of time. Raytheon Anschützhas delivereda customized, type S55 submarine steering stand, including the newly designed three-dimensional autopilot, as well as a battery monitoring system –to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), who are constructing the newest submarine destined for use by the Indonesian Navy.

PIRIOU group, the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF), the French Polar Institute Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV) and the French Navy (Marine Nationale) held the christening ceremony of France's new Polar Logistic Support Vessel (Navire Logistique Polaire or PLV) on July 12th in Concarneau.

ECA Group awarded a significant contract for French Navy’s PAP subsea demining robots

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ECA Group announces that a new 5 years contract was awarded by French Ministry of Armed Forces for supplying consumables for French navy PAP demining ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles). The amount of this contract will be over 4M€ up to a maximum of 8 M€ depending on utilization frequency. In 1977, ECA Group delivered the very first mine disposal vehicles PAP to the French Navy. In 2017, forty years later, they are still in service with support from ECA Group.

The steel cutting ceremony of the multipurpose amphibious unit (LHD or Landing Helicopter Dock) took place today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia. The new unit will be delivered in 2022 and it falls within the renewal plan of the operational lines of the Italian Navy vessels, approved by the Government and Parliament and started in May 2015. The multi-year program for the renewal of the Italian Navy’s fleet foresees the construction, besides the LHD - whose works officially start today – of seven Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ships (PPA), with other three in option, as well as the logistic support ship (LSS) “Vulcano”.